Signal episodes 1 and 2: Marco Polo, Seoul 2000

by Unnichan on Mon, Jan 25, 2016

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Dispatchers, welcome to theSignal Drama Club! With an enchanted walkie, a detective disappearance, time tampering, and a serial killer on the loose, Signal is a thriller you don't want to miss. And while one case seems to be tied up neatly, DeShonda, Jazmine and I are certain there is plenty of uncovering to be had over the next few weeks, which has left us with a case file full of questions. How about you? How are you enjoying this new suspense series?

Watch the premiere:

Unnichan: Well that was a strong start for a thriller series, if I say so! There was so much said and done in these first episodes, so much background and history, that I spent the first episode waiting for them to cut us off in the middle of some scene and roll the credits. I was antsy and impatient, worried I wouldn’t get all the answers I wanted, then, we have that moment at the crosswalk and I sighed in relief… To me, that’s some good, substantial TV! TvN, thank you, thank you again!

Jazmine: I didn’t know what to expect when I first started this drama, but what happened didn’t even cross my mind. I was worried about how they would handle the supernatural element of it with the radio thing, but I’m very happy with how they’re doing it so far. The story is strong and the characters are really good. They already had me at the edge of my seat from the first episode.

DeShonda: You took the words right out of my mouth Jazmine. I too was on the edge of my seat! The first two episodes definitely caught my attention. I am really liking the strong cast as well. So far my favorites are Detective Park and Detective Cha. I really like how Detective Cha is a very strong character and is all about business. I am a fan of Lee Je Hoon, so whatever role he plays I will enjoy. I also love and adore Kim Hye Soo! She is wonderful in the roles she plays. We did get some background about the characters and I am looking forward to knowing more. I did have some scenes that gave me jump scares too. Like when Lieutenant Park was looking down the manhole. I jumped out of my seat!

Unnichan: Haha! I knew I was going to love the cast, the moment I saw the poster. Kim Hye Soo is forever my girl and Choi Jin Woong is an Oppa love I will never get over, so there is no doubt that this was going to be a treat for me. But right now, I’m loving the writing and directing, for even when you knew who the killer was, once Hae Young started rattling off his theories, I started questioning my gut… Like, well he does have a point… It just goes to show how quickly I was invested in him and trusted that he knew more than I did. With everything that we know now, that first case was truly just the tip of the iceberg and I can’t wait to find out what happened to Hae Young’s hyung or Detective Cha’s family. She has truly come along way from the timid officer we first met. But that could have something to do with Lee Jae Han’s disappearance.

Jazmine: Okay real quick, I didn’t know any of these actors/actresses coming into this drama but I like them all so far. However, I did notice that Jang Hyun Sung is playing the corrupted head honcho police chief and I’m currently catching up on The Return of Superman and to see him be a lovable dad and then really bad guy is interesting. Anyhoo...Unnichan, we’re on the same wavelength! There are very few dramas when I am so easily invested and this is one of them. I find Hae Young to be such a captivating character, thanks to the talents of Lee Je Hoon, so I’m really into it. I honestly thought the first case would take like three episodes for some reason cause it seemed like such a major case for Hae Young but it was resolved so quickly. I’m ready to see where the next case will take us. I’m also surprised they used a real life case.

DeShonda: I noticed also that Jang Hyun Sung is playing our villain. I love watching him in Return Of Superman and it is very interesting to see him play the bad guy. I was also surprised that they used a real life case as well. I do know that Signal is a spin off of the drama Gap Dong and the movie Memories Of Murder. Both are based off a true story that happened in South Korea about a serial killer. I do like how the writers are connecting Signal to its predecessors.

Unnichan: It’s true this was a personal thing for Hae Young and honestly, I don’t know how you ever get over something like that. How you don’t always blame yourself, etc. It’s nice that we start there though, with the youngest, someone who thinks he knows everything, but audacious enough to investigate and run with what this communication thing between he and Detective Lee. We have story that is tampering with timelines, life trajectories and the law, it’s going to get really sticky and very tangled extremely fast. Cause there’s no way that Jae Han doesn’t intercept the ninth murder as well, though, at this point, we can’t be sure what repercussions will come from changing the eighth and K-drama cops love to throw first responders in jail so…

Jazmine: For some strange reason I was hoping that time would not be tampered with. In the first episode I thought that they would catch the culprit before everything happened in the past so the girl would be saved or something like that. Since that didn’t happened I figure time would stay the same. I am quite interested to see how the writers deal with the time changes. Detective Cha seemed not have noticed the 10th victim missing from the list and I’m assuming because she lived through it her memories adjusted. Hopefully the victim they saved is still around and she can help. I just have so many questions and theories already!!

Unnichan: What I wonder at this point is how Jae Han’s 1987 crush plays into all of this beyond just allowing him to be in the right place to spark his memory. And were Soo Hyun’s one-sided? Was he helping her with her own case? Will all these things, the serial killer, Jae Han’s murder/disappearance, Soo Hyun’s family be connected somehow? It’s so hard not to let your mind wander and try to fill in the blanks, even when you want to stay right in the moment with our characters. I mean, how long will it take for them to figure what is going on with the walkie and the how, when and whys? Though I think we can assume that the “signal” or “frequency” comes through at 11:22 pm?

DeShonda: I was thinking the same thing Unnichan. It’s obvious that there is some sort of relationship between Detective Cha and Detective Lee that happened in the past. It makes me eager to know more. I also want to know more about Lieutenant Park’s background. It appears he had a brother who is either in jail or deceased. The time of 11:22 pm is very significant as well and I am curious about what that means as well. But that is what I love about Signal so far. So many questions that need answers in order to put the pieces together. We will have to wait until the next episode to find out.